South Africa held their nerve in a terrific tussle to win 23-18 against a Wales side who were left to bemoan the moment a pitch invader cost them a likely try.
On a wet evening at the Principality Stadium, this game remained on a knife-edge throughout, the only points coming from the boots of Dan Biggar, Handre Pollard and Frans Steyn until Malcolm Marx crossed the Welsh line seven minutes from the end.
Elton Jantjies booted a penalty with the last kick of the contest, resulting in the five-point winning margin.
Wales had been level at 15-15 in the 63rd minute when a spectator burst onto the pitch and got in the way just as a chance to break through the South Africa defence presented itself.
Liam Williams looked to have a near-enough clear run to the left corner, but the presence of the intruder, with security staff looking to grapple him away from the action, meant momentum went and the chance was lost.
This was a thundering clash throughout, South Africa handling the early threat posed by Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit, as Biggar and Pollard kept the scoreboard ticking along.
Both sides had a player yellow-carded for persistent team infringements before the break, with Ox Nche and Rhys Carre sent to the bin, and Wales led 12-9 at the break.
The hosts nudged 15-9 ahead but were pegged back to 15-15 as South Africa rallied after a penalty from within his own half by Steyn. Wales then moved in front again after Biggar's sixth penalty, which followed moments after the intruder was escorted away, with supporters in the stands directing their anger his way.
South Africa's Makazole Mapimpi sprinted through to dot down but a TMO review picked up an offence and chalked it off. There was no denying the Boks in the 73rd minute though, when they drove irresistibly over the Welsh line, Marx grounding the ball.
Jantjies, on for Pollard, missed the conversion attempt from close to the touchline, meaning South Africa were just two points clear, but Wales could not find a response.
Close... as it was bound to be
It is now the case that 13 of the last 15 meetings between these teams have been decided by single-figure margins, with 11 of those games seeing the sides separated by six points or fewer at the final whistle.
Friend or foe?
It was unclear how or why the intruder came to be on the pitch, but Wales had every cause to be furious about the fan's presence. There was no doubt he was a distraction just as Wales got themselves into a position to threaten the try-line. Had Wales got over at that stage, there might have been a very different outcome.
West Indies batting star Chris Gayle joked about wanting to play another World Cup but is expected to officially sign off an exceptional career with one more match, at Sabina Park, when he returns to his birth nation Jamaica.
The 42-year-old competed in his final World Cup match on Thursday, his third appearance overall at the premier T20 competition. Unlike the other two appearances, which had resulted in the West Indies lifting the trophy, however, this one ended in disappointment with the team limping to the line in second to last place and being eliminated at the group stages.
Nor was Gayle’s performance particularly statistically significant. In five matches, Gayle tottered to 45 runs with a high score of 15 and an average of 9. In fact, even before the tournament, the player's inclusion had divided opinion around the Caribbean region with many insisting that the batsman, no longer at the top of his game, should have stepped aside for younger talent. He admits it was not the fairytale ending.
“It was a very disappointing World Cup, disappointing for me as well. This is probably my worst World Cup, but these things happen and it's just sad that it came at the back end of my career,” Gayle told ICC Cricket media.
“We still have a lot to go in West Indies cricket, we have some great talent coming up right now, so all I can do is play my supporting role with them and wish West Indies Cricket the best.
“I’d love to play one more World Cup, but I don’t think they would allow me,” a laughing Gayle added.
“I haven’t announced any retirement because they have given me one more game in Jamaica, in front of my home crowd then I can saw alright, thanks, guys. So, let’s see. If it wasn’t for that I would have announced it a long time ago with DJ Bravo.”
Gayle has been one of the most dominant players in the sport of T20 cricket, with over 14,000 runs scored. Internationally, he has scored the most runs for the West Indies with 1899.
Eoin Morgan vowed England would find a way to cope without Jason Roy if the hard-hitting opener is ruled out of the rest of the T20 World Cup.
A calf injury sustained by Roy in Saturday's thrilling clash with South Africa has put his hopes of featuring again at the tournament in doubt.
He retired hurt for 20 early in England's innings as Morgan's side made sure of a semi-final place, despite losing by 10 runs to the Proteas in Sharjah.
South Africa headed out of the tournament, due to their net run rate falling short of that of England and Australia, despite all three sides finishing Group 1 with four wins and one loss.
Roy had not been at his explosive best in the tournament, and England are confident they have players who can come in and prove able deputies.
"We've dealt with a lot of injuries in this tournament and pre-tournament – [Ben] Stokes, [Sam] Curran, [Jofra] Archer are not here, Tymal [Mills] goes down," Morgan said.
"Possibly Jason will be assessed tomorrow. We have a lot of talent coming in, so that gives us a huge amount of confidence.
"In the last couple of years, having built a core group of white-ball players, it allows us to delve into that depth and really explore it."
England paceman Mark Wood said on Sky Sports: "I'm disappointed for J-Roy. I'm sure from the pictures, you saw how disappointed he is.
"He's pretty disappointed in the dressing room now, upset. He's a big character and a brilliant player for us.
"We've got plenty of good players and good depth, so someone will have to step up, but it's really sad for him.
"We've got [Jonny] Bairstow who opens in the 50 overs; James Vince is a reserve, so he could maybe come in and open the batting; and [Liam] Livingstone opens for Lancashire, so we've got plenty of options."
Leon Goretzka was delighted to send Bayern Munich into the international break on a high as his goal helped them to a 2-1 win over Freiburg.
The Bundesliga leaders ended Freiburg's unbeaten start to the season at the Allianz Arena, Goretzka's opener and a second-half strike from Robert Lewandowski proving enough for maximum points.
Julian Nagelsmann's team lost at home to Eintracht Frankfurt prior to the last international break.
But they were dominant this time around against Freiburg, Bayern's 29 shots their most of the season so far.
Goretzka, who also hit the post in the second half, underlined the importance of approaching the break with a positive result.
"We shouldn't forget that we played against a good team today," Goretzka said to Sky. "The most important thing was to win the game, which we did.
"It was incredibly important to score the second goal, because you can always concede at any time. Our goal was to win today as it's the last game before the international break.
"It wasn't a good feeling when we lost just before the last international break. Therefore we are very happy today."
Substitute Juan Cuadrado struck in added time against his former club as Juventus finally broke down 10-man opponents Fiorentina to win 1-0 in Saturday's Serie A clash.
Juve were on the verge of going a fourth league game without a victory when Cuadrado, on the field for just 13 minutes, beat Pietro Terracciano at his near post late on.
The hosts had struggled for large parts of the contest but momentum swung in their favour when Nikola Milenkovic was sent off 17 minutes from time.
After Federico Chiesa hit the bar and Alvaro Morata had a goal ruled out for offside, Cuadrado found a way through to lift Juve level on points with their opponents in eighth place.
Frenkie de Jong believes "a bit of personality" is missing at Barcelona after the Blaugrana surrendered a three-goal lead at Celta Vigo.
Iago Aspas' last-gasp strike snatched a share of the spoils for Celta in Saturday's 3-3 draw, leaving new Barca boss Xavi with plenty to ponder.
Xavi was officially appointed as Barca's new coach earlier in the day, though the legendary midfielder was not in charge at Balaidos.
That duty was left to interim coach Sergi Barjuan, who looked set to claim his first LaLiga win and snap a three-match winless streak in the top flight for Barca as they cruised into a 3-0 lead.
Ansu Fati, who then went off injured in what will be a blow to Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay got Barca's goals, only for Marc-Andre ter Stegen's mistake to gift Celta a way back into the game.
Aspas capitalised on that error and was on hand again to curl in a wonderful goal with the last kick of the match after Nolito had set up a grandstand finale.
Barca only mustered 40.5 per cent possession in the second half, during which they had just four attempts to Celta's 10.
One of Barca's efforts saw De Jong hit the crossbar shortly before Aspas' equaliser, but the Netherlands midfielder knows the Blaugrana were found lacking once again.
"I think in the second half we forgot to play football. A bit of personality is missing, I think," he told reporters. "The players are the ones who have to change, that's it.
"This game was very important to get us a little boost. This is a very big blow for us. We can fight because we have quality. It will be very difficult, but we have to continue."
Asked if Xavi is the right man to turn Barca's situation around, De Jong added: "We must see. People are excited about his arrival, and we are going to work hard."
Saturday's match saw Barca squander a three-goal advantage in a LaLiga game for the first time since January 1998, against Valencia at Camp Nou in a 4-3 defeat.
The Blaugrana sit ninth in LaLiga heading into Sunday's matches ahead of the international break, with Xavi's first game in charge set for November 20 – a derby against Espanyol.
England made sure of a T20 World Cup semi-final place and took Australia through with them as South Africa went out in a blaze of glory in Sharjah.
The South Africans piled up 189-2 as Rassie van der Dussen plundered 94 from 60 deliveries and Aiden Markram cracked 52 from 25 balls, and they sealed a 10-run win on the back of a final-over hat-trick from Kagiso Rabada.
South Africa's hefty total meant England needed 87 to be sure of a semi-final place, with Eoin Morgan's team's net run rate sky-high coming into this game after four successive wins. Such calculations told South Africa they had to limit their opposition to no more than 131, if the Proteas were to squeeze Australia out of the final four, but England soon scotched those hopes.
Even as their tournament hopes were dashed, South Africa found focus, limiting Group 1 winners England to 179-8 in an absorbing finish capped by Rabada's feats.
Jos Buttler, England's star man in their early games, fell for just 26, and opener Jason Roy retired hurt, his prospects for the rest of the tournament in the balance after he suffered a calf muscle injury when setting off for a single.
England were soon past their primary target. Moeen Ali clattered Tabraiz Shamsi onto the stadium roof from the first ball of the 13th over, but he fell to the next delivery, looking to go deep again but holing out for 37 to David Miller at long-on.
Liam Livingstone flogged Rabada out of the ground for a 112-metre six, the longest in the tournament so far, and repeated the treatment from the next two balls as England officially condemned South Africa to their exit.
David Malan fell for 33 and England, effectively five wickets down, required 45 from 22 deliveries. Livingstone went for 28 from 17 balls, and England needed 14 from the final over. Rabada had Chris Woakes, Eoin Morgan and Chris Jordan caught in the deep from the first three deliveries and made sure there was no way back from that.
Quinton de Kock (34) had earlier helped South Africa make a strong start. Van der Dussen lashed Woakes for two successive sixes at the start of the 16th over, with Markram following suit from the fifth ball as the England seamer suffered.
The maximums kept coming, with Van der Dussen hitting six in all and Markram blasting four, both batters hitting Jordan over the rope in the final over, but home beckons for the South Africans.
VAN DER DUSSEN TOPS PROTEAS BEST
Van der Dussen's bravura knock was the highest score by a South Africa player in T20 World Cup history, surpassing the 90 not out by Herschelle Gibbs against West Indies at the 2007 tournament.
KNOCKING WOOD TO ALL CORNERS
Mark Wood's first appearance for England in this tournament was not one he will look back on too fondly, given the England paceman conceded 0-47. In his 18th T20I appearance, this was just the second time when he has failed to take a wicket. The other occasion saw him return 0-53 when England lost a series decider to India in Ahmedabad in March.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev set up a showdown with Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final after dismissing Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
The Russian, who downed Djokovic in the final of this year's US Open, was at his imperious best to see off Zverev 6-2 6-2 in the French capital.
He will now attempt to deny Djokovic a sixth title at the ATP 1000 event on Sunday, while seeking to etch his own name onto the trophy for a second year running.
World number two Medvedev, who overcame Zverev in the final of this event in 2020, ended the German's run of eight consecutive victories in style.
It took just 80 minutes for Medvedev to get the job done, his flat groundstrokes posing questions that Zverev had no answers to.
While Zverev did apply some pressure by forcing his rival to face three break points, Medvedev was cool under pressure as he held serve throughout the contest.
This triumph drew Medvedev level at 5-5 in the pair's head-to-head record.
He will likely face a sterner test against Djokovic, whose come-from-behind win over Hubert Hurkacz ensured he will claim the year-end number one ranking for a record seventh time.
On Sunday, he will bid to set another record by moving ahead of Rafael Nadal to reach 37 titles in Masters 1000 tournaments.
Barcelona threw away a three-goal lead to underline the issues faced by new coach Xavi as Iago Aspas' last-gasp strike secured a 3-3 draw for Celta Vigo.
Blaugrana legend Xavi was named as the new coach earlier on Saturday, but interim boss Sergi Barjuan remained in charge for the trip to Balaidos and Barca appeared to be cruising to victory after first-half goals from Ansu Fati, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay.
Yet an injury to Fati on the cusp of half-time dented the visitors' confidence, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen's error gifted Aspas a goal to spur Celta on.
Nolito headed home in the 74th minute to set up a grandstand finale and just as it seemed Barca had survived the onslaught, Aspas curled in with the last kick of the game.
Fati's quality was on show from the off, and he did brilliantly to keep his balance and curl a wonderful finish between two defenders and over Matias Dituro.
Barca's second came from a more unlikely source – Busquets curling a superb finish into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards out – before Depay made it three with an excellent header from Jordi Alba's cross.
Fati's game was cut short just shy of half-time, the winger pulling up and clutching his left thigh after trying to race clear of Celta's defence.
The offside flag came to Barca's rescue when Thiago Galhardo slotted in, though there was no such reprieve two minutes later as Ter Stegen fumbled Javi Galan's effort, with Aspas on hand to tuck in.
Hit by injuries to Eric Garcia and Nico Gonzalez, Barca wilted, with Nolito seeing a goal disallowed for handball before he directed a brilliant header beyond Ter Stegen.
Frenkie de Jong hit the crossbar as Barca tried to put the game out of reach, but it was to no avail and, in the 96th minute, Aspas found the bottom-right corner to snatch a share of the spoils and leave Xavi with plenty to ponder.
Bayern Munich solidified their position atop the Bundesliga as they ended Freiburg's unbeaten start with a 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena.
Freiburg were the sole team yet to taste defeat in the league this season, but they were always second best against Julian Nagelsmann's side on Saturday.
Leon Goretzka opened the scoring on the half hour and Bayern saw several chances to pad their lead go begging.
But Robert Lewandowski could hardly miss as he eventually made it 2-0, Bayern at least temporarily going four points clear of Borussia Dortmund in second despite Janik Haberer's late consolation.
Freiburg's defence had conceded only seven goals going into this game, but Bayern found consistent joy in carving a way through the backline.
Alphonso Davies was a menace down the left and forced saves from Mark Flekken twice in the opening six minutes before Lucas Holer could have put Freiburg ahead.
Holer should have done better as he fired wide and, after some fruitless probing from Leroy Sane, Goretzka punished Freiburg's earlier profligacy with a confidently taken close-range finish at the end of another well-worked Bayern attack.
Only the right-hand post denied Goretzka a second as Bayern upped the ante in search of a second after the interval, with Sane then lashing over on the volley.
It was Sane who supplied the final pass as Lewandowski put the game beyond doubt. The Poland international tapped in from point-blank range after Sane had combined with Kingsley Coman, but there was late consolation for Freiburg, whose reward for a strong finish came in stoppage time as Haberer wriggled free in the box and beat a frustrated Manuel Neuer.
Xavi's Barcelona tenure has not yet officially started, but the Blaugrana's new coach may have to cope with a lengthy absence for one of the club's star players after Ansu Fati suffered an apparent hamstring injury.
Barca confirmed on Saturday that legendary midfielder Xavi had returned to take over as Ronald Koeman's replacement.
Xavi, whose contract with Qatar Stars League team Al Sadd was terminated on Friday, will be officially presented on Monday and his first game in charge will be a derby against Espanyol.
However, he seems set to be without youngster Fati, who was forced off just before half-time against Celta Vigo on Saturday, having pulled up clutching his left thigh.
Fati had been enjoying a brilliant game, putting Barca ahead early on with a fantastic finish from a tight angle. Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay subsequently scored to make it 3-0 at the time of the winger's injury.
The teenager only returned to action in September, having endured a long injury lay off due to a serious knee problem that kept him out for the majority of the 2020-21 campaign.
His goal at Celta was his third in LaLiga this season, from just his fifth appearance in the competition, while he has also scored once from three Champions League games.
Fati's injury will also present a blow to Spain coach and former Barca boss Luis Enrique, who had named the forward in his squad for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Sweden over the next two weeks.
Novak Djokovic moved one step away from a sixth Paris Masters title by beating Hubert Hurkacz, guaranteeing himself the year-end number one ranking for a record seventh time.
The Serbian great is looking to get back to title-winning ways in his first tournament since September, when his hopes of a calendar Grand Slam were snuffed out by Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.
He was pushed all the way to a deciding set tie-break by world number 10 Hurkacz, the player who beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon amid his breakout year.
But Djokovic had just enough in the tank to complete a 3-6 6-0 7-6 (7-5) semi-final victory, thumping his chest in relief and exhilaration as he got across the winning line.
On Sunday, he will bid to set another record by moving ahead of Rafael Nadal to reach 37 titles in Masters 1000 tournaments.
Saturday's success guarantees Djokovic will end the season on top of the ATP rankings for a record-breaking seventh time – Pete Sampras drops to second on the list with six years at the top.
Hurkacz broke serve in the eighth game of the first set and closed it out, only to surrender meekly in the second.
Djokovic broke to lead 3-1 in the decider, but a spirited Hurkacz recovered the break with a booming forehand into Djokovic's backhand corner in the seventh game.
The Polish player staved off a match point when serving at 5-4, getting somewhat lucky when a Djokovic passing shot landed just wide.
A tense tie-break swung Djokovic's way when Hurkacz lashed a forehand into the net at 5-5, and a backhand volley from the Miami Masters champion landed just wide on match point.
In the title match, Djokovic will tackle the winner of the second semi-final between Medvedev versus Alexander Zverev.
New Zealand extended their 100 per cent winning record against Italy to 15 games as they scored a crushing 47-9 win in Rome – setting a record for the most points in a calendar year.
The visitors, who named an entirely different line-up to the side that swept past Wales last week in Cardiff, were held scoreless in an error-strewn opening 25 minutes. However, the eventual drubbing meant New Zealand took their 2021 points haul to 675, beating the previous best of 658 set in 2007 by South Africa.
Finlay Christie broke the deadlock when he scrambled in after the All Blacks pushed the Azzurri back at a scrum. Dane Coles added a second moments later as New Zealand power won out again, and the same player grabbed a third shortly before half-time too.
Italy, in action for the first time since losing all five of their games in a dismal Six Nations showing, had new coach Kieran Crowley – a former All Blacks full-back– at the helm.
A pair of penalties from Paolo Garbisi put them on the board, and he added a third after the interval to briefly trim New Zealand's lead to 12 points, but Sevu Reece bounded through tiring blue jerseys for a fourth All Blacks try just after the hour, with Asafo Aumua grabbing a late close-range double and Hoskins Sotutu dashing down the wing to pile on the points.
Richie Mo'unga missed the conversion attempt from Aumua's second try, having successfully booted the extras for each of the previous five-pointers.
New Zealand, having beaten the United States, Wales and now Italy, face two more games on their tour, against Ireland in Dublin next Saturday, followed by France on November 20 in Paris.
Olivier Giroud has questioned why Didier Deschamps did not give France's senior players any advance notice of Karim Benzema's return from international exile.
Real Madrid striker Benzema was named in France's Euro 2020 squad in May following an absence of nearly six years.
He had been frozen out by head coach Deschamps since 2015 after becoming embroiled in a blackmail scandal involving international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema has strenuously denied he was complicit in attempted blackmail.
Looking to bolster his attacking options, Deschamps decided the time was right to bring back Benzema ahead of the European Championship, but Giroud believes the move proved unsettling to France's established way of playing.
Giroud has not featured for France since their last-16 elimination at Euro 2020, when the World Cup winners bowed out on penalties to Switzerland, and it remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old's international career is over.
Addressing Benzema's surprise return, Giroud told L'Equipe: "[It] created a tactical imbalance at the team level and in the way we play. I say this frankly, and without anything against Karim.
"The France team was able to overcome this problem of tactical adaptation much later. We have seen this, especially with the Nations League [which France won in October].
"But it took a long time. Karim quickly changed our way of playing which had been well established with certain offensive profiles for five years.
"The mix didn't work overnight, especially before a competition like the Euros."
Commenting on Deschamps' decision to seemingly spring the selection on the rest of the players, Giroud said: "It was the will of the coach to proceed like that.
"He preferred that it not be heard. I can understand it. Now who am I in his eyes for him to call me first? He is the sole decision-maker.
"But I would have appreciated being warned, that he warned certain senior figures."
Giroud is second on the list of France's all-time leading scorers, netting 46 goals, of which 45 have come during Deschamps' nine years at the helm.
Only Thierry Henry (51) has more goals for France than the former Chelsea and Arsenal forward, who is now at Milan.
He was absent from the squad that won the Nations League, when Benzema and Kylian Mbappe scored in the final against Spain.
"It was a weird feeling, even though I was happy for the guys in front of my TV," Giroud said. "It's hard not to experience that with this squad that I have known for a long time, and with whom I have shared so many beautiful things. Like any sensitive person, I had a twinge in my heart."
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